This invention relates to an information processing system, a recording apparatus, a communication apparatus, an information processing method, and a program, and in particular, relates to an information processing system, a recording apparatus, a communication apparatus, an information processing method, and a program, which enable to provide a convenient recording apparatus by effectively utilizing EPG (Electronic Program Guide) data and other information which are possessed by a recording apparatus such as a hard disk recorder.
In late years, DVR (Digital Video Recorder) such as a hard disk recorder, and a hybrid recorder of a hard disk and DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) has been getting popular rapidly. Further, on Internet, an EPG server, which is a server for providing a web page of EPG, called as iEPG, is about to become popular. As the suchlike EPG server, there is not only one for providing a web page for the purpose of browsing EPG but also one for providing a service for controlling recording reservation of a program (e.g., see, JP-A-2001-309285 publication).
That is, in the EPG server which provides a service for controlling recording reservation of a program, for example, when a user accesses to it from a place where one is away from home, through the use of a portable telephone, a web page of EPG is provided to the portable telephone of the user. When the user takes a look at the web page and operates the portable telephone so as to make a recording reservation of a desired program, program information relating to the program, such as a channel (its number or a broadcast station name etc.,), a broadcast date, broadcast starting time, broadcast ending time, a tile, and description of a program content of the program which became an object for the recording reservation, is stored in the EPG server, in association with, for example, user information which specifies the user who is an owner of the portable telephone.
On one hand, for example, in case that DVR, which is installed in a house of a user (user home), is executing polling to the EPG server, and the EPG server stores program information which was associated with user information of a user of a portable telephone, the program information is transmitted to DVR in accordance with the polling from DVR.
DVR receives the program information from the EPG server, and when time, which is represented by broadcast starting time in the program information, comes, recording of a program of a channel in the program information is started.
As above, in the past, in order for a user to browse EPG from a place where one is away from home, there was need to access to an EPG server through the use of a portable telephone and to receive provision of a web page of EPG from the EPG server.
Therefore, there was need to install the suchlike EPG server, and further, in case that the number of accesses to the EPG server was increased, there was need to realize reinforcing of the EPG server.
In addition, in the EPG server, there is need to arbitrarily update EPG which is provided as a web page, but in case that its update is slow, it means that a user can not browse the latest EPG.
Further, for example, in case that a family operates directly DVR which is installed in a user home and thereby, a recording reservation of a program, which is identical to a program for which a user is about to make a recording reservation, has been already made, there is no need for a user to make the recording reservation. However, a user, who goes out from home, does not know that the recording reservation has been already made, and therefore, there is such fear that a user operates a portable telephone to make a so-called useless recording reservation.
On one hand, in terrestrial analog broadcasting, data of EPG (EPG data) is overlapped with broadcast waves and transmitted, and DVR, which receives, stores and displays the EPG data, is manufactured and sold. Here, EPG data includes, for example, program information of each program (a channel, broadcast data, broadcast starting time, broadcast ending time, a title, description of a program content).
In addition, also in terrestrial digital broadcasting, EPG data is transmitted, and as DVR which corresponds to digital broadcasting, DVR, which can handle EPG data by the digital broadcasting, is about to appear on the scene.
Then, in the digital broadcasting, as compared to the analog broadcasting, it is possible to transmit EPG data more quickly, and therefore, in DVR, it becomes possible to quickly obtain the latest EPG data. In this case, in DVR, the latest EPG data is stored, but in an EPG server, there can occur such a situation that it is not possible to provide the latest EPG, since it is during a period for updating a web page of EPG.
Therefore, as described above, in case that it becomes possible in DVR to quickly obtain EPG data, it is possible for a user to browse the latest EPG, in case that EPG is provided from DVR which is installed in a user's own house, rather than such a case that EPG is provided from an EPG server.
Further, DVR stores information of a recording reservation which has been already made, and if it is possible in a portable telephone to obtain information of a recording reservation from DVR and confirm it, it is not necessary for a user to make the useless recording reservation as described above.